LINDSEY WILSON

LINDSEY E. WILSON

CREATOR OF CHICAGO.COM/MUSIC

PRESIDENT OF CHICAGO BEATS INC.

Artwork, Web Design, Music Journalism, Photography, Graphic Design, Music Promotions, Band Management, Marketing, Musician

Lindsey Wilson is the Founder of Chicago.com/Music and the President of Chicago Beats Inc.  Wilson has a strong arts background having studied Fine Arts at Rhode Island College of Design, Interior Design and Graphic Design at Miami University (Ohio), and Fashion Design at London College of Fashion.  As a dancer, an actress and a musician Wilson has graced the stages of Carnegie Hall, Potbelly’s, Double Door, Abbey Pub, and La Salle Power Co., to name a few.  Wilson moved to Chicago in May of 2009, and shortly after began building Chicago.com/Music.  Chicago.com/Music went live in September and has grown to represent nearly 40 local bands, and many local businesses that support her efforts to build a stronger music community for the city of Chicago.  Wilson started Chicago Beats Inc. in Fall of 2009, which offers more extensive booking, promotional and management services to local and touring bands.  Chicago Beats Inc. alongside Chicago.com/Music took eleven local bands to perform in Austin, TX at an official party for SXSW Music Festival 2010.  Wilson is currently pursuing her own musical adventures performing solo and as a member of The Down Feathers, while always working to build a bigger place for music in Chicago.  Wilson is developing new ideas and business models that will reach an international audience of musicians, industry and fans alike that can share words, inspire thought, provoke understanding and spread connection.  With big dreams and many plans, Wilson will continue to work and play music.

PAUL RICE

Paul Rice (music journalist) is a 21 year old college student, writer and recovering music snob. Hailing from the cushy pillow of Naperville, IL, he is a senior at Hope College in the comparably cushy, pillowy Holland, MI, where he is a DJ and the head Music Director at WTHS, a local radio station that he will physically force you to listen to if you ever swing by. Holland is a little out of the way from most bands’ touring routes, so his ties to Chicago’s live music scene remain strong  during the school year despite the distance. His musical appetite first fired up around the tender age of twelve when he began investing ungodly amounts of time listening to local radio and sponging up useless information about bands. He took up guitar, learned some music theory, and never looked back. Now he also plays banjo, bass and harp (and will try to fake a few more), and sings and writes music at an uncomfortably rapid pace. What he lacks in experience he makes up for in his ability to rant passionately about a band he’s only been listening to for a week.



SEAN BRNA

Sean Poynton Brna (music journalist) is a 25 year old freelance writer who was born and raised in the Chicago-land area. After attending high school he attended Tulane University in the historic and winsome Uptown neighborhood of New Orleans; where he studied to receive his Bachelors degrees, one in History and one in Philosophy. However, he likes to say he also received a minor in attending live music, as the tuneful culture of New Orleans stoked the fires of a wholehearted love of music. While attending Tulane Sean had the dubious distinction of experiencing Katrina at the onset of his junior year. This would have an effect on Sean, teaching him the lesson on impermanence, and cause him to alter his goals. Eventually going back after a semester of exile, Sean was a part of NOLA’s rebirth and his deep love of the Crescent City was solidified forever. Following Tulane Sean decided to attend the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Tempe, AZ where he studied the disciplines of live and recorded sound. Soon after he returned to Chicago and had the pleasure of interning at one of Chicago’s most respected recording studios, Engine Studios, in Wicker Park. Thereafter Sean immersed himself in the Chicago music scene by being involved in many aspects of the planning, promotion and execution of many local concerts and festivals. Both The Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival and The Chicago Noise Machine’s I AM Fest are two Chicago independent musical events — true boot-strap Chicago-music projects really focused on bettering the local scene — that he have had the honor of being apart of. Now Sean has turned much of his attention to the love of writing employed in college with his love, knowledge, and experience in the music industry. While he still helps to throw shows and can be found to audio engineer and do beat sequencing occasionally in his free time, it is through the creative outlet of writing and sincere yet cultivated reflection upon both albums and public-performances that Sean hopes to best serve our Chicago musical scene. 



SARAH CAROLAN

Sarah Carolan (pr/social media director) is a 22-year-old artist, graphic designer, and social media enthusiast.  She calls New Jersey home, disregarding the flak that generally follows suit.  After studying for one year at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, Sarah decided to gratify her love of Chicago by returning to her Midwestern roots.  She transferred to The School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she received her BFA in the spring of 2010.  At SAIC she studied several subjects, including: Graphic Design, Architecture, and Fashion.  As well as having her artwork displayed in several exhibitions, Sarah has also studied at The Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, blogged for NeoCon: Architecture and Design Expo, and contributed graphic work and writing to several websites.  Like art, her love for music developed at an early age, and has remained a significant part of her life.  Chicago, with its vibrant local music scene, was naturally a perfect fit for her.  When not updating the Music Calendar or managing the social media accounts for Chicago.com/music (Twitter: @chicago_music), Sarah enjoys traveling, photography, and art.  For further information on Sarah’s work, check out her website: www.sarahcarolan.com

 

DAVE GOOKIN

Dave Gookin (street team/publicity coordinator) grew up in the rolling hills of Western Pennsylvania in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. Dave has always been interested and passionate for the arts such as musical theater, opera singing, painting, drawing, improv comedy, acting, and jamming out with friends his entire life. Dave has been a professional music theater actor, an organized chamber singer, and has performed in front of thousands of people in Boston as well as Pittsburgh. Throughout Dave’s life, he has taken several art classes during high school and college and was a member of his high school’s elite chamber group. Dave’s creative mind and passion for the arts and academics allowed him to excel through high school and he found his way to the scenic Hudson River Valley to attend Bard College. Dave is currently a rising junior and is a candidate for a BA in Anthropology with a minor Electronic Music. Until last September, Dave called Pittsburgh home, but now he has found his way to Chicago where he has grown to love the city. Dave finds that music can be a way for one to express themselves differently and allow for an alternative perspective on everyday life. Dave looks forward to discovering the local music scene in Chicago. He loves to learn about new things and to explore different cities, museums, and concert venues.  Dave loves playing Division III lacrosse, ice/ roller hockey, sailing, soccer, and competitive squash. Dave loves numerous genres of music including indie, alternative, classic rock, and jam bands. 

ADRIAN LUGO

Adrian Lugo (web developer) is a web/graphic/digital media designer, living in the nether regions of the Illinois/Indiana border.  A Chicago native, Adrian graduated from Illinois State University in 2007 with a degree in Graphic Design and also a degree in Arts Technology. Adrian’s design interests are based on the belief that design makes sense of all the non-sense. Adrian is fascinated by the power design has to clarify or complicate the way we relate to the world and each other. Website design/development, corporate identity, marketing collateral, video editing, and multimedia are a few of the areas he has been perusing with his freelance work. Adrian is dedicated to developing his own voice in art and design and always learning more about what it means to be an architect of human communication.  Adrian’s personal interests involve spending money on records, mixing different types of music together to make people dance, making experimental art that blurs the line between video and music, learning how to make beats, and giving his girlfriend foot massages. Feel free to contact Adrian by electronic mail: alugoll(@)yahoo.com.